Fergus Bowes-Lyon, 17th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne

Fergus Michael Claude Bowes-Lyon, 17th and 4th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, DL (31 December 1928 – 19 August 1987) was a British landowner and peer. He was a nephew of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, thus a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Right Honourable The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne DL
Born	Fergus Michael Claude Bowes-Lyon (1928-12-31)31 December 1928
Died	19 August 1987(1987-08-19) (aged 58) Glamis, Angus, Scotland
Spouse	Mary McCorquodale ​ (m. 1956)​
Children	3; including Michael
Father	Michael Bowes-Lyon
Relatives	Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (paternal aunt) Elizabeth II (first cousin)

Early life and family

Born on 31 December 1928, Strathmore was the eldest son of Michael Claude Hamilton Bowes-Lyon and Elizabeth Margaret Cator (1899–1959). His paternal grandparents were the 14th Earl and Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and his maternal grandfather was John Cator, Conservative MP for Huntingdon. He had two younger sisters, Mary and Patricia, and a younger brother, Albemarle.

He attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and was commissioned in the Scots Guards on 2 September 1949. In 1953, during the coronation of his cousin, Queen Elizabeth II, he was one of many servicemen lining the processional route. He served as a captain with the Second Battalion of the regiment in Germany.

Strathmore, then Captain Fergus Bowes-Lyon, married Mary Pamela McCorquodale (31 May 1932 – 28 April 2025) at St Margaret's, Westminster, on 10 April 1956 in a ceremony attended by his cousin, the Queen. His widow died on 28 April 2025. They had three children:

• Michael Fergus Bowes-Lyon, 18th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne (7 June 1957 – 27 February 2016)
• Lady Elizabeth Mary Cecilia Bowes-Lyon (born 23 December 1959)
• Lady Diana Evelyn Bowes-Lyon (born 29 December 1966)

Later life

He became 17th and 4th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne upon the death of his first cousin, Timothy, 16th and 3rd Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, on 13 September 1972. He sat in the House of Lords as a Conservative. He and his wife made improvements to the visitors' areas at Glamis Castle, their seat in Angus. On 6 August 1973, Strathmore was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Angus, later serving as a vice lieutenant for the Tayside Region. Additional appointments he held included honorary colonel of the Tayforth Universities Officers' Training Corps from 1974 to 1982.

On 19 August 1987, Strathmore collapsed while shooting grouse on the grounds of Glamis Castle and died en route to hospital. He was succeeded by his son, Michael.

References

1. "No. 38703". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 September 1949. p. 4228.
2. "Luton News and Bedfordshire Chronicle". British Newspaper Archive. 28 May 1953. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
3. "Queen's Cousin Weds". British Pathé. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
4. Brown, Graham (30 April 2025). "Mary, Dowager Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne dies at 92". The Courier. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
5. "The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne - obituary". The Telegraph. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
6. "Earl of Strathmore, 58; Cousin of the Queen". Los Angeles Times. 22 August 1987. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
7. "Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne". MPs and Lords. UK Parliament. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
8. "The Family". Glamis Castle. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
9. "No. 46045". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 August 1973. p. 9347.
10. "No. 48579". The London Gazette. 10 April 1981. p. 5310.
11. "No. 46174". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 January 1974. p. 274.
12. "No. 48872". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 January 1982. p. 1085.
13. "Earl of Strathmore Is Dead; A Cousin of Queen Elizabeth". The New York Times. 19 August 1987. Retrieved 11 October 2008.

Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Timothy Bowes-Lyon	Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne 1972–1987	Succeeded by Michael Bowes-Lyon
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Timothy Bowes-Lyon	Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne 1972–1987	Succeeded by Michael Bowes-Lyon